“There was no discussion, none!” says Donaldson.
Lorne Donaldson, former two-time head coach of Jamaica’s Senior Women’s Football Team, the Reggae Girlz, has denied having any “extended discussion” with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) regarding his official separation from the team on Friday.
The local governing body of football, the JFF, had earlier Friday, issued a release confirming that both Donaldson and itself had agreed to the non-renewal of his contract which comes to an end on September 30, 2023.
“The Jamaica Football Federation and Coach Lorne Donaldson had a meeting to discuss his contract as the Senior Women’s Team coach, which comes to an end on September 30, 2023.
“After an extended discussion, both parties came to an agreement that the contract would not be renewed,” the statement continued.
But later Friday, Donaldson, during a radio sports call-in program on KLAS FM, told the hosts that the meeting with JFF General Secretary Dennis Chung and his assistant known as “Suzie” (Susie-George Gayle) lasted less than five minutes, and that there was no “extended discussion” on the topic of his contract.
“No, no, no, no. When you come to an agreement there is a question and an answer. He [Chung] just told me that the contract will not be renewed. There was no discussion, none!
“After that I just said thank you very much,” said Donaldson, who was assistant coach to Hue Menzies when the Reggae Girlz qualified for their first FIFA World Cup in 2018.
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The former National player then replaced Menzies shortly after the France 2019 global showpiece, before resigning because of issues with his bosses.
He returned as head coach after Vin Blaine resigned due to pressure from the players during the early stages of qualification for the 2023 FIFA World Cup, and successfully guided the team to its second-consecutive appearance.
At the World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand, Donaldson helped the team to a historic first win, 1-0 against Panama, on its way to the Round of 16 after decent 0-0 results against France and Brazil, becoming the first Caribbean team to achieve the feat.
And only recently the Reggae Girlz lost a playoff series 0-2 and 1-2 against reigning Olympic Games gold medalist Canada during the Paris 2024 Olympics qualifier.
Donaldson further revealed how the brief “meeting” unfolded after he and Chung exchanged pleasantries.
“Then for the first time he said congratulations on what the girls have done at the World Cup, they have never before congratulated us,” claimed the former Kingston College and Cavalier Soccer Club defender.
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“We will not renew your contract,” says Chung
“Then he mentioned the Canada game and I just said ‘yeah, Canada is still the Olympics champion’ and I asked him a question… the last time Jamaica played Canada, whether it was 2020 or 2021, and I asked him the score of the game and he had no idea. I said the score was nine nil, Canada.
“He looked surprised… then he turned and looked at me and said ‘you know we will not renew your contract’. That was it.”
The JFF also expressed gratitude to Donaldson for his efforts and declared its intentions to “immediately put the machinery in place to have competent staff in place for this important competition,” at the upcoming CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup qualifiers within a month’s time.
The loss to Canada in the Olympic Games qualifying playoff puts Jamaica to the W Gold Cup Qualifying Group A which includes Panama and Guatemala.
The three teams will play home and away starting October 25 with the Reggae Girlz facing Panama away. Four days later Jamaica hosts Guatemala.
On November 29 Panama will play its return game in Kingston, with Jamaica playing away to Guatemala on December 3, 2023.
The winner books an automatic place in the W Gold Cup, while the runner-up earns another shot during a playoff next February.
